Montrose Reloads for New Season
Senior transfer Tyrone Johnson has already verbally committed to Villanova.
Guard Carmelo Betancourt (wearing #4) will comprise half of a very solid backcourt for the Mustangs next year.
BY ADAM CHASEN:
ROCKVILLE, MD - Montrose Christian basketball, led by legendary Coach Stu Vetter, will look to improve upon last year's up and down campaign in 2010-11. Coach Vetter's job just became a little easier now that the Mustang's have landed not one but two talented transfers in the last few weeks, to sure up what should be one of the nation's top backcourts.
Tyrone Johnson a highly regarded point guard prospect, formerly of Plainfield H.S. (N.J.) will be attending Montrose Christian this year. Johnson has been contemplating the move for his senior season for several months, and now has announced he will make the move. Johnson long thought to be a Georgetown University lean, had the Hoyas on his final list, and recently announced a verbal commitment to Head Coach Jay Wright and Villanova, much to the chagrin of Hoya fans.
Johnson is a consensus top 50 recruit in the 2011 class and is considered a traditional point guard, in the sense that he is a natural distributor. He is listed anywhere from 6'1"-6'3" depending on the source and will contribute to a dynamic Mustang backcourt. Justin Anderson, a rising junior, will also be back in uniform for Coach Vetter this season, after making comments publicly this summer that he was not sure where he would attend. Anderson is a 6'6" guard/wing player, who possesses otherworldly athleticism, and has long been considered an elite player in the 2012 recruiting class.
Johnson averaged 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game as a junior at Plainfield. He was a big time football player before giving up the sport to concentrate exclusively on basketball, playing quarterback at Plainfield. He also plays AAU basketball for highly regarded Team Final.
Villanova has had success recruiting from Montrose in recent years, landing rising sophomore Wildcat duo, Isaiah Armwood and Mouphtaou Yarou, two years ago. Both played strong roles last year for the Wildcats and are expected to be key players this upcoming season.
Meanwhile Georgetown has not successfully landed a recruit from the national powerhouse program since Drew Hall, Tony Bethel, and Harvey Thomas attended the school during the Craig Esherick era. All three eventually transferred.
In addition to adding Tyrone Johnson to the lineup, Montrose has also added 5'11" guard Carmelo Betancourt via transfer. Betancourt was a member of the 18U Puerto Rican National Team, and played in the Jordan Classic International Game this past spring. Montrose has had success with International transfers in the past, most notably, University of Maryland point guard and recent 1st round NBA draft pick, Greivis Vazquez, originally from Caracas, Venezuela.
